


we could be heroes forever and ever

by bigspoonlou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Blow Jobs, Bottom!Harry, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Rimming, age gap, because louis obviously tops, but that's ok because louis calls him man bun and veggie hippie, dad!louis, even though he's small and harry teases him, guidance counselor!harry, harry is 24, harry is louis' kid's guidance counselor, idk what else to tag, it smells like vanilla, larry au, louis is 33, obviously, oh no, there are lots of cats, they fuck in harrys office, top!Louis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:24:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3997108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigspoonlou/pseuds/bigspoonlou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>louis is having a mid-life crisis at 33. he has a 17 year old daughter who won't shut up about that stupid boy band, a cat who sleeps on his head, and a cubicle job more boring than watching golf. then there's harry: a stupid hippie of a guidance counselor, who dresses way too casually for work and obsesses over his dumb cat. he also teaches louis that it's not too late to get his life together, and that maybe kale smoothies aren't that bad.</p><p>or, the one where louis is a 33 year old dad and harry is a 24 year old guidance counselor and cat enthusiast</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i, i will be king

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic on this website and in three years!! 
> 
> follow my tumblr: tomlinsoninlace.tumblr.com
> 
> please leave feedback and kudos!! xoxo

Louis was at that point in life where he simply hated everything. He hated getting up in the morning, he hated arguing with his seventeen year old daughter about that one boy band, he hated his job, he hated the cat, and most of all, he hated the fact that he woke up alone every single morning. 

Sometimes before bed, he’d try to pinpoint the moment when his life took a turn for the worst. He always ended up somewhere around the time he and his ex-girlfriend had sex in the drama department’s storage closet, because that was when they had conceived Thisbe. Of course, Louis loved his daughter just as much as the next parent, but he was just sixteen when his life had been changed forever. He never blamed his daughter for the way things unfolded, so he just blamed himself. Himself and fucking fate.

He had been contemplating whether or not to try a different Chinese restaurant for his lunch break when Thisbe elbowed him hard. He blinked several times and remembered that he was supposed to meet with a Mr. Styles that morning to discuss Thisbe’s options post-graduation. It was the typical meeting most parents attended at the beginning of their kid’s last year of secondary school. And of course, Louis had forgotten all about it.

So after rushing out of the car and following his daughter into the crowded high school filled with hormonal animals, Louis ended up in the waiting room of the guidance office. It was a decent sized room, one that hit you with the scent of french vanilla the moment you stepped inside. The grey commercial carpet had imprints from old furniture that had been moved, and the computers in the corner looked a bit outdated, like the receptionist by the door. Louis was positive he spotted a kitten mug on her desk. Oh lord, was she wearing a Christmas sweater? In September? Christ.

“I’m going to be late for work,” Louis muttered under his breath, but really, he didn’t give a shit about work. He stayed behind a desk all day, answering calls for a computer company. His biggest joy was deciding where to eat for his lunch break, or texting Thisbe in between classes.

Thisbe rolled her eyes, mainly because she knew her father well enough to understand his hatred towards his occupation. She constantly pestered him about finding a new job, one that maybe he would enjoy, but he would never have it. Louis was like that: stubborn.

A few minutes had passed, consisting of Thisbe texting her friends and Louis reading Game of Thrones theories, until Mr. Styles was finally ready to see them. Thisbe rarely spoke about her guidance counselor, so Louis was prepared to meet an awkward older man, maybe with a hunch and dressed in a tweed suit.

What he did not expect was for this twenty-something year old male model to step out of his office, curls literally flowing in the wind provided by the little fan in the corner. He was dressed as casually as the formal dress code would allow, with a black shirt and red tie that was a bit too loose. Were those actual skinny jeans? Louis was nearly shitting himself.

“Hi!” the pretty man-boy breathed, as though walking a couple meters from his office to the waiting area had been some sort of a hike. “Sorry to keep you waiting, I just got off the phone with a parent. Please come in!”

Louis watched as Mr. Styles gave Thisbe a wave, and he couldn’t help but get annoyed. He was Thisbe’s father; shouldn’t he get a personal wave too? What the actual fuck? At least Louis didn’t wear skinny jeans to work.

After Louis and Thisbe shuffled into the small but rather homey office, they took a seat in front of the curly haired man’s desk. It was there that Louis found his name, since apparently guidance counselors needed a little name plate. Louis didn’t even have a name plate in his cubicle.

Harry.

It was fitting, really, considering the name was as casual as the man’s clothing. Louis began to wonder if it was short for anything, like Harold or maybe Harrison. He fought the urge to giggle, and he took the hint when Thisbe kicked him in the shin.

Harry was sitting in his important-looking chair, typing something up on his Mac (of course Harry would have a Mac), when he suddenly looked up at Louis and gave him a heartbreaking dimpled smile. It was then Louis realized that this man had green eyes. How on Earth did he land a guidance counseling job when he could’ve been posing naked for the art students? Maybe then Thisbe would want to explore the arts. But nooo, she wanted to major in chemistry.

“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” Harry said, his dimple still there and driving Louis crazy. “I’m Harry Styles, Thisbe’s guidance counselor. You must be Louis? I’m so sorry if I’m keeping you from your job. This shouldn’t take long, I’m just bringing up Thisbe’s records.”

Louis tried to return an equally as charming smile. Come on, Tommo, you used to charm your way into everyone’s pants in high school! “Yeah, I’m Louis. Nice to meet you, Harry,” he chirped, never one for formalities. So really, he had no right to mock Mr. Styles’ clothing choices. “And it’s no problem. I’m sure Thisbe doesn’t mind missing out on first period creative dramatics.”

Thisbe groaned and sat back in her chair, clearly just wanting her father to leave the high school and never return. Harry, on the other hand, made this beautifully angelic sound. Was that a chuckle?

“I’ve always found it ironic how a girl named Thisbe isn’t into the arts,” Harry mused, eyes glancing between the father and daughter before returning to the screen of his computer. “Alright, got your records right here! Wow, wonderful marks in all of your classes. Even that one English one you wanted to drop last year. If you keep it up, you’re looking at a nearly perfect grade point average.”

Louis couldn’t help but wrap a proud arm around Thisbe’s shoulders. And maybe he was using it as an opportunity to flex in front of the sexy guidance counselor.

“So what are you thinking about doing after graduation?” Harry asked Thisbe, who shrugged away from her father and gave him a warning look. “Do you want to enroll in a university, maybe travel, join the workforce or the military…? Stay home with your father, because you’re clearly a daddy’s girl?”

Louis snorted and missed the fond look Harry gave him.

“I’m definitely planning on applying to a few universities,” Thisbe answered immediately, cheeks reddening from Harry’s teasing. “I want to major in biochemical engineering.”

“Whatever that means.” Louis hadn’t even realized he said that out loud. He supported his daughter, of course. He just could never wrap his head around anything relating to science that wasn’t about computers. If Thisbe’s mother hadn’t done a few major lab reports for him in high school, he probably never would’ve passed any of those classes. And that was why he was so proud of his little girl.

Thisbe and Harry both decided to ignore Louis’ comment and continued to talk all about college applications and deadlines. Louis hummed when necessary, not really paying attention because he was too busy looking around the room. There were some picture frames on the desk, but they were facing Harry. He looked at the wall behind Harry and tried not to laugh because there was an actual cat calendar hanging. He could make out a messy scrawl over some dates, and a highlighter color code in the top corner. Louis’ eyes began wandering from the calendar and that was when he noticed a cat mug on the desk. 

“Do all of you guys have those?” Louis interrupted, looking at the green-eyed beauty in front of him. At first, Harry came off as a rather intimidating and brooding male model, but now that they were sitting in his office and Louis could really study him, he began to notice these soft features. For instance, his doe eyes and his baby skin. There was the occasional blemish, but Louis thought they added to the cherub appearance.

Harry sort of stared at Louis blankly before realizing what he was talking about. He actually snapped his fingers, and fuck, the dimple was back. “Oh! You mean the mugs!” He made the stupid angel giggle again and nodded. “Yeah, I got them for everyone in the guidance department as a back-to-school gift.”

Of course he did.

After ten minutes, Mr. Styles concluded their meeting and Thisbe had tucked away all the lovely pamphlets he had given her. Louis was positive she’d actually read them. 

Louis stood up and stuck his hand over the desk. “Well it was nice to meet you, Harry,” he said with a slight smirk.

Harry raised an eyebrow and took Louis’ hand, giving it a firm shake. The older man looked down and was stunned by how much larger the other’s hand was compared to his own. Fuck. “Pleasure, Louis,” Harry stated after clearing his throat, his hand lingering just a second longer than necessary before releasing.

After Louis kissed Thisbe’s cheek goodbye in front of everyone in the hallway and was now driving to work, he couldn’t help but think about Mr. Styles. What he didn’t know was that Mr. Styles couldn’t help but think of him too.


	2. and you, you will be queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the second chapter! i've decided to post a chapter after 2-3 days, but depending on work, it might be more like 4-5. thank you for reading!!

It was safe to say that Louis was back at the school as soon as the final bell rang. Did he have to fake diarrhea and a killer migraine in order to leave work early? Yes. Was it worth it? Fuck no.

Mr. Styles apparently had a personal matter that needed to be dealt with, so now Louis looked dumb as hell. When the receptionist asked him if he had an appointment, he became a flustered mess and he may have run out the door. Maybe.

The thing was, Louis never acted like this. Thisbe would describe her father as boring and the least spontaneous person you could ever meet. Since Eleanor left them thirteen years ago, Louis avoided all those blind dates Zayn always arranged. It wasn’t like he was still hung up over Eleanor, because honestly, he couldn’t care less about their failed marriage; he just didn’t know how to hook up with guys without actually coming out to his daughter.

Because according to Thisbe, Louis was, in fact, completely and utterly straight.

“Dad, what are you doing here?”

Louis looked up from his phone (another Game of Thrones blog post, of course) and gave his daughter a big grin. He was currently leaning against his car, which was parked right in front of the school. The crossing guard was giving him a dirty look, and Louis knew that if they didn’t leave within the next few seconds, they’d be getting some harsh words.

“What, a father can’t pick up his loving daughter from school?” Louis asked, giving Thisbe a wounded pout. He could hear some giggles, and after further investigation, he noticed a group of girls who were most likely first years. “Aw, Thisbe! Look! They think I’m sexy.”

Thisbe looked mortified, her blue eyes wider than their cat’s arse. “Nope. Nope. We’re leaving,” she stated, grabbing her father’s arm and practically pushing him into the driver’s seat. As she was shutting the door, Louis could’ve sworn he heard her mutter, “I swear to the fucking gods, if Liam Payne thinks I’m dating you, I’m going to commit Japanese suicide.”

Louis didn’t know who Liam Payne was, but he was pretty psyched about the fact that he looked young enough to be dating his daughter. After a few seconds, he gagged.

—

“I don’t understand why you can’t just take the car and go grocery shopping by yourself.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with Pixie.”

“It has a name?” Louis asked, eyebrows furrowed as he pushed the cart down the junk food aisle. It was around dinner time when the Tomlinsons realized that their refrigerator was filled with nothing but an expired carton of milk and baking soda. And since apparently Thisbe was sick of pizza, Louis was forced to abandon his sweats and go to the grocery store.

Well that was a lie. Louis was still in his sweats. 

As Louis was pushing, Thisbe was grabbing random bags of pretzels and cookies and then tossing them into the cart. “You could have at least changed, too, you know. What if people from school are here? Like, honestly… Are you trying to look like my boyfriend?”

Louis gave a little dramatic huff and looked down at his clothes. He didn’t see what the big deal was; he was just wearing his favorite Adidas tank top and a pair of worn grey sweatpants. It really wasn’t his fault that he aged beautifully. Plus he liked to show off his tattoos and let people know that he was a cool dad.

After they hit the ice cream section and had amazing success, Thisbe decided that they should load up on some fruits and vegetables. Louis disagreed, but they somehow ended up right by the apples. It wasn’t like Louis was a complete slob who lived off of junk, but he just didn’t eat raw celery and carrots for fun. Who even did that?

Just as he leaned forward on the cart with his elbows resting on the little bar, he caught sight of someone bagging some broccoli into those little plastic baggies. He looked rather tall, and his hair was tied up in a bun. Though Louis had seen those curls loose earlier that morning, he could recognize the man just by his posture. 

“Oh, fuck,” Louis hissed, trying to hide behind a display of cantaloupe. 

Thisbe smacked his arm with the bag of apples. “What did we say about not swearing in public places? You know, sometimes I feel like I’m the parent in this-…”

Louis was about to cover her big mouth when Harry turned around and gave them this huge goofy smile. “Look what you did! Now he’s coming over here,” Louis whisper-yelled. But when Harry came over, he smiled the best he could and chirped, “Hello, Mr. Styles! Fancy seeing you here!”

Thisbe rolled her eyes and went to explore the land of the tomatoes.

Harry looked like the sun personified, in his stupid grey sweater and ball suffocating jeans. These ones were even tighter than the ones he wore to work. Louis wondered if that meant he wasn’t particularly well endowed.

“Hi, Mr. Tomlinson,” Harry replied in that happy tone of his. Weren’t deep voices supposed to sound intimidating and scary? He sounded like a smooth and pure chocolate river. “Yeah, I usually do my groceries on Saturday morning before I go to my cycling class, but I was running low on some things. Do you come here often?” He blinked several times before letting out a cute chuckle. “That was dumb, sorry.”

Louis was smiling so wide that his eyes were getting all squinty. “We don’t come here as often as we should.” He nodded towards their cart, which was nearly filled to the top. And that was when he noticed Harry’s. “Oi, have you got any sugar in there?”

There were plenty of bananas, some strawberries, a whole bunch of random leafy greens, and this pink thing with weird spikes. It looked dangerous. 

Harry just laughed and glanced at his cart. He picked up the weird pink thing, and that was when Louis realized how large his hand was. He could carry like two more in that thing. “It’s a dragonfruit. Isn’t it pretty? The inside is even prettier, but it actually tastes like nothing unless you prepare it.”

Louis decided he wanted Harry to prepare dragonfruit for him. “So you eat weird things, go to a cycling class, wear skinny jeans to work, have your hair in a bun… You’re a proper hippie, aren’t you?”

Harry raised an eyebrow and crossed his long and toned arms. The sleeves rode up a bit and Louis noticed a few tattoos. Fuck.

“So you eat processed garbage, have a teenage daughter when you look around 30… Oh, wait, that’s all I know about you.” He stepped a bit closer, resting his arm on a melon. Only he could look like a Greek God while doing that. “Maybe you’ll let me judge you over dinner sometime?” 

Louis was still buzzing over the fact that Harry thought he was thirty. But that would mean he had Thisbe when he was thirteen. After shuddering, he realized what Harry had just asked him and fucking hell, he was smiling like an idiot.

That was before Thisbe showed up with carrots and onions. “So, dad, I was thinking we could make a stew for dinner,” she announced as she dumped everything into the cart. “Hi, Mr. Styles! I hope my dad wasn’t annoying you.”

Harry gave Louis a knowing smirk and shook his head. “Of course not. I was just asking him if he’d…”

But before he could continue, Louis shook his head rapidly. Thisbe didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure when he’d tell her. But he most certainly didn’t want Mr. Sexy Hippie to do it for him.

“Oh, um.” Harry paused before smiling. “I was asking if he’d like to chaperone the fall formal!”

“What?” Both Thisbe and Louis said at the same time.

Louis had heard all about the fall formal from his daughter. Apparently it was the third most important dance of the year, prom being first and the winter ball being second. He also knew the fall formal was just a dance where everyone smuggled in alcohol and drugs. Not that his daughter did anything. He hoped not.

“It’ll be so much fun!” Harry kept going, and Louis just wished he would shut up. Thisbe was thinking something along the same lines. “Come on, you can hang out with me and the whole guidance department.”

Louis snorted. Thisbe was still in shock.

Just before Louis could pass, Harry gave him this fucking pout. And god, his lips were already so plump looking, and now they were plain obscene. He wondered how it would feel to kiss him.

Thisbe watched in horror as Louis agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh thank you for making it this far! please give kudos and comment if you like it so far. the chapters will get longer, i promise! :)


	3. though nothing will drive them away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i changed the title and chapter titles to fit heroes by david bowie! sorry this is a tad late, i just had my senior prom last night. this song was requested by my best friend (it's her and her boyfriend's song) and obviously it reminded me of larry. thank you for the comments and kudos!!! x

Louis never thought that he’d be shopping for a tux ever, considering he missed out on every major dance in high school because of a broken condom, but well, here he was. He had decided against a bowtie, because he felt as though they made him look stuffy and just old. Instead he went with a classic black vest and red tie. Thisbe told him a jacket would be too much, and she didn’t want people to think they were together. Louis’ ego was already big enough as it was.

“Dad, we’re going to be late!” Thisbe screamed from downstairs.

Louis just rolled his eyes as he fixed his hair in the bathroom, making sure it had the perfect effect. Usually he just left it down and do whatever it wanted, but because fucking Man Bun was going to be there, he needed to make sure his hair “slayed,” as Thisbe’s friends would say. 

“Dad, I swear if-…”

Louis just tuned her out and added some more gel to his quiff, and after a few more minutes, he was satisfied. It did this cool curly thing, and he was extremely pleased with the outcome of his labor. He grabbed his wallet and keys, then headed downstairs, where he had to stop and just take a moment to stare at his daughter.

“Dad, you’re being weird,” Thisbe stated, her cheeks pink.

“You look stunning,” he told her when he could manage to speak. 

She was wearing a long blue dress that shimmered every time she would move, and her makeup was shiny and made her eyes just pop. Louis was beyond glad that she got his cheekbones and not her mother’s droopy things. Thisbe was gorgeous, and if this Liam Payne didn’t think so, he was going to have a few words with him.

Thisbe just blushed and shook her head. They didn’t do this often. The whole ‘complimenting each other’ thing. They mostly bantered and bickered about the stupidest thing, like whose turn it was to do the laundry and dishes, or whether or not the cat should leave forever. 

So after a few seconds, the two broke the awkward silence by clearing their throats and leaving for the school.

————————

Louis was beyond annoyed. Veggie Hippie was nowhere to be found, and the DJ seriously sucked. The gym was disgustingly decorated and looked tackier than his aunt’s living room. It was supposedly Halloween themed, but orange construction paper cutouts of pumpkins didn’t really qualify as ‘Halloween.’

Also, Louis was pissed. He would’ve come as Peter Pan if he had gotten the memo. Fucking Man Bun not telling him information.

Just as an annoying Selena Gomez song came on, Louis felt a tap to his shoulder. He turned around, expecting it to be yet another high school girl. He was quite popular that night, and he may have broken a few hearts. Girls were quite persistent nowadays, not caring about the fact that he was nearly twice their ages. Fucking weirdos.

“Look, I’ve said it before. I’m thirty-three, and you probably know my daughter! I’m not looking to be anybody’s sugar daddy, considering I’m broke. Plus you wouldn’t like my cat, okay, she’s a…”

Before Louis could further embarrass himself, Harry Styles was in the middle of pissing himself. The man was giggling so much, and Louis didn’t know how to make it stop. He didn’t know if he really wanted to, since the sound was just beautiful. But then he saw the preposterous jacket he was wearing.

“Alright, mate, calm yourself,” he snapped, crossing his arms. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

Harry stopped laughing, but his eyes widened. “Louis Tomlinson, this is a school event, and profanity will not be tolerated!”

“Shut up,” the older man interrupted, rolling his eyes and then gesturing to the jacket. There were these yellow swirls down the sides, and he looked like a gay pirate. “I’m not sure if you knew, but Captain Hook did not dress like that. Did you get that jacket at a little indie shop?”

Harry looked down at his jacket and pouted a bit. Louis felt only a tiny bit bad, because the man seemed to genuinely like the ugly thing. “I’m supposed to be Prince Charming.”

And Louis was maybe a bit charmed. “Well…” He paused, not knowing what to say, so he decided to make him smile. “You look very nice. Now that I know who you are, it makes sense.”

The smile on Harry’s face was brighter than anything in the room. Including the clearly bleached teeth belonging to the last girl who hit on Louis.

“You look nice too! I really like the cinnamon bun in your hair,” Harry chirped, literally reaching up to stick his finger in his hair. Louis slapped it away, of course. “It’s very nice. I’m not quite sure who you’re supposed to be, though.”

Louis just huffed softly and poured himself some punch, since they were right next to the snack table. God, they were so lame. But then again, he was chaperoning his daughter’s dance on a Friday night. He was already lame. 

“If you absolutely need to know, I’m nobody. You and Thisbe forgot to mention that this is a costume party. Though, I don’t think she remembered either,” he said, glancing towards the girl who was talking to a boy with a Batman mask. He instantly looked again, his eyes narrowing. “And who the fuck is that?”

Harry smacked him, causing Louis to nearly spill his punch. “Stop swearing!” he scolded before looking in Thisbe’s direction. “Well, because he’s wearing a mask, I’m not quite sure. But since he’s Batman, I’m ninety-nine percent positive that that’s Liam Payne,” he said with a smug smile.

Louis’ eyes widened, and he was so close to stomping over there and asking that boy what exactly his motives were. But of course, Harry began to talk and of course, his voice just made Louis want to listen to him forever and ever. Even if he was a pirate hippie.

“You know, you should’ve come as Peter Pan,” Harry told him, stroking his hairless chin and looking Louis up and down. The older man felt so exposed when he did that, and he felt the need to cover up. “You have the same hair as him, and honestly, the cinnamon bun is nice and all, but I prefer the shaggy layered look.”

“Shaggy?!”

“But,” Harry continued, ignoring Louis completely. “But I think if you did come as Peter Pan, you’d be attracting way more girls. You know, I might have to ban you from attending any more school functions. You’re just too much of a distraction, with your excessive cursing and cinnamon bun hair.”

Louis wanted to slap and kiss him.

Before Louis could even think of a good comeback, the horrid DJ was announcing a special request. Just then the opening notes to Heroes by David Bowie began to play, and Louis suddenly had faith in teenagers.

“Oh look, they’re playing my request!” Harry squealed.

Oh.

Louis raised an eyebrow, watching as all the high schoolers began to awkwardly slow dance with their dates. He made sure to keep an eye on Liam Payne. He didn’t want the boy to get any ideas. 

“Dance with me,” Harry suddenly said, his eyes boring in Louis’ soul. “Please? I am a prince, after all. You should feel honored.”

Louis wanted to laugh, but he noticed how Harry’s eyes seemed to twinkle, even with all the tacky lighting around, so of course, he gave in and nodded slowly. Thisbe looked pretty distracted with that Liam boy, and he supposed he could not pay attention to Liam’s hands for a few minutes. Plus he really wanted to dance with Harry.

Harry took Louis’ hands and led him to a more secluded corner of the dance floor. Louis couldn’t smell the sweaty scent of the gym for the first time, but it was probably because of Harry’s musky scent. God, he was so close. Harry gave him this dimpled smile, and his hands found Louis’ hips. Louis unwillingly put his arms around Harry’s neck, and honestly, they were only in this position because of their height difference. Because let’s face it, Harry was a giant and it would look silly if the man had his arms around Louis’ neck.

As they began swaying to the music, Harry leaned in impossibly closer and rested his forehead against Louis’. 

_We can be heroes, we can be heroes, we can be heroes. Just for one day._

Louis thought Harry was going to say something, but the man stayed quiet and simply looked at him. He wasn’t used to being looked at that way, and his cheeks were heating up rather quickly. He hoped the lighting was hiding that. Nobody, not even Thisbe’s mother, had looked at Louis the way Harry was looking at him, and it terrified him.

It made him think. What was he doing? He was a thirty-three year old man, dancing with a twenty-four year old at a high school dance. He had a teenage daughter, dancing just a few meters away. This was bad. He was falling into something he couldn’t, and if this continued, Harry would only get hurt.

But before he could pull away, the song was suddenly over.

Harry stepped back, right as Jason Derulo began singing, and Louis felt his heart drop to his stomach. He felt cold without Harry touching him.

“You didn’t swear for two minutes,” Harry told him, breaking his heart with those beautiful dimples. “I’m really proud of you, Lou.”

 _Lou._ He called him _Lou_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! make sure to leave comments and kudos! xx


	4. we can beat them, just for one day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: lil smut in this chapter, though it's not really that graphic (i suck at smut, pls enjoy my mediocre pornographic literature)
> 
> also!!! follow my tumblr for updates and such: tomlinsoninlace
> 
> enjoy xo
> 
> **it helps to listen to Desire by Meg Myers**

“Never have I ever… Had a threesome.”

Harry watched in awe as Louis downed the shot of punch. They were currently in Harry’s office, having snuck out of the gym and decided to take the party elsewhere. Of course, they smuggled some punch out and dug up some old kitten shot glasses from Harry’s college days, which were hidden deep in his desk drawer. Louis despised them, but Harry squealed in delight.

Louis gave Harry a little smirk as he leaned back in Harry’s chair. The younger man was perched on his desk, facing Louis, who was fully reclining in the leather thing. 

“It was about a month before Thisbe was conceived,” Louis explained. “It was with Thisbe’s mother, of course, and this boy I fancied. I was still in the closet, so it was a blast.”

Harry giggled and just glanced down at his full shot glass, which had been poured about fifteen minutes ago. Though he had come out of the closet way before Louis had, he didn’t have many wild experiences. It wasn’t even the sexual stuff; Harry had never been outside of England, he lived with his mother until he was finished with Uni, and his best friend was a cat. He even jogged five kilometers everyday before work. 

“Your turn,” Harry said, giving Louis a little pout.

Louis grinned as he poured himself some more punch. “Hmm…” He stroked his chin with his free hand and snapped his fingers. “Ah! Never have I ever gotten a lap dance.”

Harry finally squealed (which sounded quite strange coming from a man with such a deep voice) and drank the punch with so much pride. Louis really wished he could meet Veggie Hippie’s mother just to tell her all about how proud her son was to receive a lap dance.

“Care to explain how you, of all people, have gotten a lap dance, but I haven’t?” Louis asked, setting the stupid glass down and crossing his arms.

Harry shifted a bit, his bum probably getting sore from sitting on the hard wood of the desk. “It was my nineteenth birthday, and my best friend decided to hire a stripper-…”

Before he could continue, Louis interrupted him. “Nope. Nope, that does not count! A stripper will give anyone a lap dance! I’m talking about an actual boyfriend or girlfriend.”

That made Harry frown. “Oh. Well, I’ve never gotten one from my ex boyfriend. But I’ve given him one. Does that count?” he asked with the most innocent voice, and Louis wanted to fuck him right then and there. Even in front of the stupid framed picture of a fat cat staring at him. He was assuming that was Harry’s beloved friend.

“You’ve…” Louis stammered for a moment, his eyes widening as he tried to visualize Mr. Lanky moving his hips obscenely. “Really?”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed and he was making that cute little offended face. “Is it that hard to imagine? I made him pretty happy that night, I’ll have you know! Came right in his jeans without me doing anything but grinding,” he stated proudly.

Louis wanted to tell Harry’s mother about that too.

But first, he wanted a Harry Styles lap dance.

He looked around the long haired man, just to make sure nobody decided to break into the guidance office. Then he reached for his phone, went through a rather private playlist, and finally played the song Desire by Meg Myers on full volume. Once setting the phone down, he gestured towards his lap, his thighs spread, and gave Harry a crooked smirk.

“Well go on, then.”

If he had a camera, he would’ve taken a picture of Harry’s face right then. Firstly, he looked so stunned by the song selection, and secondly, he looked so fucking beautiful. Louis could tell that he was game, considering how his teeth were dragging over his lower lip, as though begging Louis to just bite it himself. 

“Harry, you don’t-…”

Harry slid off the desk before Louis could continue, and simply shook his head. Now it was Louis’ turn to watch in awe as the younger man began to slowly unbutton his shirt. His fingers looked so long in the dim office lighting, and Louis could only imagine what he looked like pleasuring himself. 

“Fuck, not the jacket,” Louis whined as Harry slid off the stupid pirate jacket next. He couldn’t help but laugh because this was so ridiculous, and he was glad that Harry was giggling too because he didn’t want the boy to think that he was teasing him or anything. From the last half hour of their game, Louis had learned that Harry had been bullied quite a lot in his childhood.

Harry just wriggled his eyebrows and began swaying his narrow hips to the beat of the music. Louis nearly pissed himself when he even started to mouth the lyrics. How could such an innocent little hipster know the words to such a dirty song? _Harry Styles should become contraband immediately_ , he thought.

“Holy shit,” Louis muttered, his eyes falling to the inked butterfly on Harry’s abdomen once the shirt came off and Harry was finally just in his stupid black skinny jeans. Louis was beginning to realize those were the only type he owned. After further inspection, he noticed these fern leaves above his pelvic bone and then these sparrows right below his collarbones. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

When the chorus of the song came around, Harry was basically in the mood. Maybe it was because Louis was staring at him with so much need and want, or maybe it was because it was a fucking great song. 

_Desire… I’m hungry…_

_I hope you feed me._

_How do you want me?_

_How do you want me?_

Louis gasped softly when Harry was suddenly straddling one of his thighs, and the room felt ten times hotter. For the first time since they entered the office, he couldn’t feel the stupid cat in the frame staring at him. All he could feel was Harry’s body. That was the only thing he wanted to feel.

“Fuck,” he breathed, moving his hands to Harry’s hips as the man began to grind against his thigh in those ball-suffocating jeans. He wondered how they weren’t ripping.

Within the next fifteen seconds, Louis discovered something. It was something he never thought he’d love this much, but now that he was aware of its existence, he was so far gone. 

Harry Styles loved to talk dirty.

The man decided to just straddle Louis completely, the chair barely holding the two of them, his long fingers tangled in the older man’s gelled hair. The cinnamon bun was doomed, but that was the last thing as Harry’s mind as he practically purred in Louis’ ear, “Fuck, Lou, you feel so good… God, I want you to throw me onto that desk and just fuck me into oblivion… Bet that would feel so fucking good, bet your cock is so big… Good thing I’ve got a big mouth, hm? I bet you’d love that, babe, fucking my pretty mouth with your big cock…”

The sounds that left Louis’ mouth sounded inhuman, and the problem in his pants simply grew as Harry continued to speak. He could feel Harry’s bulge against his own, and that just made things a million times worse yet better, since Louis hadn’t experienced pleasure like this in so fucking long.

_I wanna feel you… I want it all._

_How do you want me?_

_How do you want me?_

“H-Harry,” Louis managed to whine, his voice cracking at the second syllable. His hips began to buck up, desperately seeking friction with Harry’s.

They hadn’t even noticed the song was over. Hell, they probably wouldn’t notice if the world just ended around them. They most likely weren’t even aware of what they were doing, and the consequences they’d face.

That was until Thisbe stumbled in with Liam Payne, the two clearly looking for a private area, seeing as their lips were locked and Batman’s hands were wandering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!
> 
> sorry that the chapters are so short, ugh, i'm working on trying to make them longer, i promise.
> 
> also sorry for the cliffhanger, eeeep.
> 
> leave kudos and feel free to punch me in the face in the comments!!


	5. we can be heroes, just for one day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took a bit longer than usual! i just graduated yesterday.
> 
> feel free to follow my tumblr!!  
>  **tomlinsoninlace.tumblr.com**
> 
> enjoy!!

The moment that Louis saw figures outside of the slim glass window on Harry’s door was the moment when he literally pushed Harry off of him. He ignored the man’s initial protests because seconds later, Thisbe was actually inside the stupid little office with Batman.

Thankfully (or not so thankfully if you were Thisbe’s father), the two were so occupied with sticking each other’s tongue down the other’s throat that Harry had enough time to stand up and quickly get dressed. Louis just sort of sat there, the sight of his daughter enough to make his hard-on disappear. He literally felt sick.

Once Harry was presentable, he motioned towards the desk. Louis furrowed his eyebrows, because what? But then Harry actually grabbed him and shoved him underneath desk, something Louis didn’t quite appreciate. Who on Earth thought they could manhandle Louis Tomlinson? Especially when he had some words to share with his daughter?

Harry cleared his throat, and the couple finally noticed the princely guidance counselor. Louis really wished he could’ve seen the look on their faces. 

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, Mr. Styles. We didn’t think, um, that anyone was in here…” Thisbe stammered, and Louis just rolled his eyes. 

Louis heard Liam Payne’s voice next. “Yeah, honestly… It was my idea, not her’s,” he spoke up. _Her’s_? Louis prayed that this boy at least knew his daughter’s name. It was a pretty unforgettable name, too. He always prided himself with that.

Harry ended up laughing awkwardly, and Louis could tell that he was still flustered from what had gone on just a minute earlier. Hell, Louis was still in disbelief. Harry Styles grinding against him like a stripper in a poorly decorated office? What?

“Well, um, I guess you two should return to the party, yeah?” he finally said, but then as soon as Louis heard footsteps, Harry added, “Also, you guys have detention next week.”

Thisbe and Liam didn’t even fight it, and Louis could just imagine how red they were. It was hard not to laugh. As soon as the door shut, Louis crawled out from his hiding spot and stood up, eyes narrowing a bit at the flustered hippie.

“You gave my daughter detention? Who do you think you are?” 

As soon as Harry’s cheeks reddened, Louis broke down and started laughing, his arms moving to wrap around the man’s neck. He pressed a little kiss to his neck, and for one moment in his life, he didn’t really mind his height. It made kissing Harry Styles’ neck a bit easier, and he could live with that.

“Lou,” Harry complained, though he just smiled and looked down at the older man with such a fond look. “I bet your punishment is going to be a million times worse. God, that was so close. Do you ever plan on coming out to her, though?”

Louis froze for a few seconds because that was the first time anyone has ever asked him that. Nobody knew about Louis’ sexuality. Not even his best friend, Zayn, who always tried to find him some attractive single mother. His mother and stepfather certainly didn’t know, and it went without saying that his sisters and brother were clueless.

He sighed and pulled back a bit, moving to sit on the desk, his legs dangling. “I, um… It’s just complicated,” he mumbled, looking down at his lap. “It’s only been us for a long time, and she never even hears from her mother these days. I don’t want to ruin her life with this, you know? Nobody besides you knows. What if she hates me?”

Thisbe was never a hateful person. She was the opposite, really. When she was six, she cried when her pet spider died. She started volunteering at the soup kitchen when she was eligible, and she’s never missed a weekend. Whenever the school had a drive for a charity, Thisbe was always in charge. Really, she was only bitter to Louis, and she was always just teasing. So maybe coming out to her wouldn’t be so bad, but he didn’t want to risk losing her if she did end up shunning him.

Harry’s facial expression softened and he stepped closer to Louis, taking his hands in his larger ones. “I’ve known Thisbe for a few years, and yeah, that’s not as long as you’ve known her, obviously, but I really don’t think she’d react negatively.”  
 Louis just stayed quiet, thinking about what would happen if Thisbe did find out about his sexuality. Sure, maybe she wouldn’t care, but she’d definitely care if she knew who he was getting involved with. Her twenty-four year old guidance counselor. God, she’d kill him. He knew she would. 

What was he thinking? He looked up at Harry, and that was when it hit him. Harry was _young_. When Louis was his age, he had a seven year old daughter while his friends were just finding real jobs and starting actual careers. Harry should’ve been finding someone his own age, someone he could take to weird music festivals and drink smoothies with. 

Louis’ stomach started to hurt, and that was when he stood up and pushed Harry away gently. “I’m going to find Thisbe,” he told Harry, trying not to look him in the eye. 

Harry looked so confused, like a little baby deer. “Oh, okay… Can I call you? I sort of have your number already… Got it from the student records,” he admitted shyly, his stupid dimple appearing. Louis wanted to kiss it.

But he couldn’t and never could. “I think it’s better if you don’t.”

Then he walked out of the office, refusing to see the hurt on Harry’s face. All because of him.

———————————

Louis was miserable. So miserable that he even forced the cat to cuddle with him while watching a stupid vampire movie made in the 80’s. And afterwards, he watched every single Spiderman movie in existence, and not once did he smile at the television. It was that bad.

Thisbe had noticed, but she was too occupied with her new boyfriend to really find out what was up with her father. She confessed about the detention after the dance, though she had been pretty vague about it. Louis didn’t bother her about it. He just kept thinking about those stupid curls and that fucking dimple. 

It turned out that Harry was quite persistent. He called nearly everyday since the dance and left him dozens of text messages. Sometimes it was a paragraph demanding what he had done wrong, other times he was calling Louis a coward. Most of the time, he was sending the broken heart emoji. Those texts made Louis cry.

It had been nearly two weeks since the dance, and Louis had just finished the final Spiderman movie. He checked the time and sighed. School had just ended, but Thisbe had a bunch of clubs so she wouldn’t be home for another two hours. But, he would start getting a bunch of Harry texts soon. He reached for his phone and turned it off.

Just as the cat jumped off the couch, the door bell rang. Louis groaned and wondered if Harry was creepy enough to actually get his address and come serenade him. He wanted to punch himself when he realized that he wouldn’t actually mind that. 

He was wearing an old white cotton t-shirt and Coca Cola pajama bottoms when he opened the door, revealing his best mate. Zayn stepped back when he saw Louis’ appearance and let out a low whistle.

“Damn,” he breathed, finally looking Louis in the eyes and raising an eyebrow. “I called your work and they said you were taking your vacation and using your sick days. What’s up? You haven’t answered my texts. Is Thisbe alright?”

He didn’t even wait for Louis to invite him in, and simply just walked right past him and took a seat on the couch, which had been like a nest to Louis. 

“Thisbe’s fine,” Louis replied, clearing his throat and sitting beside his best friend. “It’s me who’s not fine.”

Zayn chuckled softly. “Obviously. But what’s wrong? Is everyone in your family alright?” 

Louis wanted to cry and hug him for being so concerned. He also wanted to choke him for asking so many questions.

“Everyone’s fine, Zayn!” He gave a small yet exasperated sigh. “It’s just…”

He looked at Zayn for a moment, thinking about how long they had known each other and everything they’d been through. Zayn was there for Louis after Eleanor told him about being pregnant. Zayn was there when Louis cried after seeing the ultrasound pictures. Zayn was there when Thisbe was born. Zayn was even there when they got the fucking cat, since it was his own fucking cat’s baby.

Louis bit his lower lip, and he could tell Zayn was starting to get anxious as the silence grew.

“I’m gay.”

And just like that, Zayn started laughing. Louis just frowned.

“This isn’t a joke!” he told him, his eyebrows knitted together as Zayn’s laughter just continued.

Zayn finally calmed down after a few moments, a big smile on that handsome face of his. “I know it’s not! I’m sorry, Lou,” he apologized, his arm wrapping around Louis’ shoulders. Louis stiffened. “I was just laughing because well, I know.”

Louis’ eyes widened. “What the _fuck_ do you mean you _know_?” 

His friend just rolled his eyes, and Louis really wanted to hit him. “You’ve never been interested in any of the girls I’ve introduced you to. Plus I’m your best friend. It’s my job to pick up on these things. If you weren’t gay, I’d be pretty damn worried.”

Instead of actually hitting him, Louis just whimpered softly and moved to hug the man tightly. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t shed a few tears.

Zayn just smiled softly and held his obviously fragile best friend, rubbing his back gently. “Love you, Lou.”

_Lou_.

Harry.

Louis cried harder. He missed Harry so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated and motivate me to update faster! ;)


	6. and you, you can be mean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am the queen of short chapters~
> 
> i hope you enjoy this though! some fluff, and a classic larry moment. comment if you spot it. ;)
> 
> also this hit 1k+ views!! thank you so much, ahhh. <3

Louis was in the shower when he heard a loud crash. He automatically assumed that it was Thisbe and she had dropped a plate or something, but as he was washing the conditioner out of his hair, he remembered that Thisbe had gone out with some friends and was spending the night somewhere. He froze for only a few moments, because then he remembered that stupid cat. Yup, the cat. She probably fell off a shelf or something. Good, great. Ah.

He finished up his shower and stepped out, reaching for a towel and drying his hair before knotting it around his waist. He padded out into the hallway and nearly screamed.

“What the fuck?!” 

Harry Styles was in his house. His fucking house. Harry Styles, the hot guidance counselor, was in his fucking house and he was on the floor, as though he had tripped. He looked like he was in pain too, and there was some embarrassment there as well. 

Man Bun looked up at him, his eyes wide as he just sort of laid there on the floor. He was in his signature skinny jeans and a black shirt that appeared to be rather sheer. God, Louis had spent the past couple of days actually believing that he was over this man, when in reality, he wanted to jump him right then and there.

 “Oops,” Harry said, a sheepish smile on his face. As though he hadn’t just broken into Louis’ home. How did he even get inside? 

“Hi?” Louis furrowed his eyebrows and knelt down so that they were eye to eye. “Wanna tell me why the fuck you’re in my house, Harry?”

Harry pouted and just blushed more, looking at everything that wasn’t Louis. “I, um… I missed you. You weren’t taking my calls and answering my texts, so I sort of looked up your address? And, um, your door… It was locked. And I didn’t have any bobby pins in my hair today, so I went around the back… Oh god, I sound like a serial killer, Lou! I just… Well that was locked too. So I went through the cat door. Is your cat morbidly obese? I mean, I’m not a small person and I got through just fine. You should really check that out, Lou. If I got in, anyone could!”

While Harry continued to ramble, Louis couldn’t help but smile really wide. He suddenly wrapped his arms around the man and practically tackled him though they were already on the floor. 

“I missed you so much,” he breathed, his nose buried in Harry’s flowing curls. He just smelled so nice, like hand soap. 

He didn’t really know what he was doing. He should’ve kicked Harry out. Maybe call the police and tell them a hippie had crawled through his cat door. But he just missed him _so much_ , and now that he was seeing him in person after all this time, he couldn’t help but melt into a little Louis puddle.

He felt Harry exhale the moment he attacked him with that hug. “I missed you too,” he whispered, but then he cleared his throat. “But my ass sort of really hurts right now. Could we possibly continue this conversation somewhere soft?”

Louis huffed softly but grinned. “Are you implying that you’d like to go to my bed, Harry? Gosh, you’re so naughty,” he teased before standing up and reaching for the man’s hand to help him up. He jokingly pat his bum, and watched fondly as Harry whined since it was still quite sensitive. He was precious, and Louis had missed his man child antics.

Louis led Harry to his bedroom, allowing the younger man to sit on his bed while he rifled through his drawers to find some boxer briefs and clothes to wear. Harry began to recount the past few days.

“I was so miserable, Lou. Isn’t it weird? We haven’t known each other long, and we haven’t even gone out together, but I’m just so attached to you already. Thisbe came into my office the other day to get my signature for a college form, and I just wanted to ask her how you were doing. But obviously I couldn’t, because that would be weird, wouldn’t it? Oh - Oh, oops! I’ll close my eyes! Sorry,” he said bashfully when Louis began to unknot his towel. 

Louis just snickered and began getting dressed. “Continue, babe.”

Harry grew even more flustered, his hands over his eyes like that one monkey emoji. “But, um, yeah… I went grocery shopping yesterday and thought about you. I got a pack of Oreos and ate half of them in the car! Isn’t that the most depressing thing, Louis? Oreos! I know they’re vegan and all, but that doesn’t necessarily imply healthy, you know? Oh god, do you see what you’re-…”

Before Harry could further humiliate himself, Louis went up to him, leaned in, and then cupped his face before kissing him deeply. In his mind, it was to shut him up. But really, he’d been wanting to kiss him the moment he laid eyes on his pretty curls.

Harry’s body stiffened for just a split second before he relaxed, his lips moving slowly but surely against Louis’. His hands lowered from his eyes, one of them finding Louis’ waist and the other tangling itself in the older man’s hair. 

Kissing Harry was like… Louis couldn’t seem to explain it. It was as though this was the spark his life desperately needed. This was what he had been missing all these years. Harry’s very existence filled that void in his life, and after experiencing nearly two weeks without him, Louis was never going to let him go. 

After what felt like an hour of innocent kissing (too innocent, if you asked Louis), Harry pulled back, his usual pink lips looking obscenely red. And they looked like that just from close-mouthed kissing? Louis wanted to see what they looked like after he nipped at them with his teeth. 

“Wow,” Harry breathed, looking up at Louis through those thick lashes of his.

And that was when Louis realized that had been their first actual kiss. Harry had given him a lap dance worthy of a top-notch pornographic movie two weeks ago, and this was their first kiss. Louis’ mother would’ve been ashamed.

“Remind me to take you out on an expensive date,” Louis muttered, shaking his head to himself. He ignored Harry’s confused look and just pecked his lips sweetly. “Thisbe’s not going to be home until tomorrow afternoon.”

Harry cocked an eyebrow, a smirk appearing on his face. “Louis Tomlinson, are you asking me to spend the night?”

Louis instantly groaned. “Fuck, I’m so bad at this! Harryyyy,” he whined, moving to straddle him and bury his face in his neck. 

Harry chuckled and ran his hands down Louis’ back. It wasn’t suggestive; it was sweet and comforting. Louis felt so comfortable around Harry, more comfortable with him than with anyone else.

“I’d love to spend the night. But,” he said, pausing for the longest time. “But, I’m making breakfast in the morning. I hope you like kale and green tea smoothies! Oh, and oatmeal and banana pancakes!”

Louis nearly gagged, his nose wrinkling as he pulled back to stare at this hippie man. “You know, on second thought, maybe we’re moving a bit too fast… I don’t even know your middle name!” he teased. 

“Edward,” Harry instantly said. “Harry Edward Styles.”

The name of a prince. Louis was so gone for this boy.

“Well, Harry Edward Styles… I’m Louis William Tomlinson. Nice to meet you,” Louis said slowly before shaking his head to himself. “How old are you exactly?”

Louis would’ve guessed early twenties. He hoped he wasn’t too, too young, because well… Louis was quite old. Not that old, considering he still had his biceps and rarely worked out these days, but old enough to have a teenage daughter. The wrinkles by his eyes had deepened over the years, and he really needed to invest in some cream for that. Especially if Harry was going to be his boyfriend. The man had a baby face, for crying out loud.

Harry’s blush and shifted a bit. “Twenty-four,” he replied. “I’ll be twenty-five in February, though!”

Twenty-four. He was seven years older than Thisbe. He was closer to Thisbe’s age than Louis’. Jesus Christ.

Harry saw Louis’ face and quickly reached for his hands. “That doesn’t mean anything though! So what if you’re a bit older? I don’t see a problem with that. We’re both adults, aren’t we? Plus, in my opinion, you don’t look a day older than twenty-five.”

Louis kissed him, just for that last bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! leave kudos and comments, please, please, please.
> 
> and subscribe too! might update again tomorrow. ;)


	7. and i, i'll drink all the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry i didn't post this sooner! i've been working so much. :(
> 
> chapter length doesn't make up for my absence, but hopefully the fluff content will. and the lil cliffhanger at the end... ;)
> 
> thank you so much for the kudos and comments! 
> 
>  
> 
> **IMPORTANT A/N AT THE END!!**

The thing was, Harry was an excellent little spoon. It was completely unexpected, considering his size, but the fact was that he was a natural little spoon. Louis couldn’t wrap his head around it. How was that even possible? He just curled up so nicely, and honestly, Louis wanted Harry’s little ass against his crotch like that every night.

They spent the whole night talking about their childhoods, mostly because Harry kept calling Louis a stranger, and Louis did not appreciate that. Apparently and unsurprisingly, Harry had been bullied all throughout primary school and even going into secondary school. He was quite the loser until he went to Uni and apparently became hot as fuck. 

That was how he worded it. 

Hot as fuck.

Louis snorted but didn’t disagree.

“So tell me about you,” Harry insisted, nuzzling his cheek against Louis’ bicep which was wrapped tightly around the younger man. “I bet you’re way more interesting than I am.”

Louis hummed softly as he tried to think of a great childhood story to tell Harry, but he couldn’t exactly come up with one since his wild years were interrupted abruptly. 

“Well I have five sisters and one brother,” he began, lowering his arms to Harry’s waist and bringing him closer, though it wasn’t really possible. “Lottie’s the oldest. She’s a head designer at Love Clothing. And there’s Fizzy, she’s still in Uni, studying to get her second PhD. The twins, Daisy and Phoebe, are going to graduate Uni really soon,” he rambled, then he smiled fondly. “Doris and Ernest are also twins. They’re 11, and there’s not much going on with them.”

He loved his family dearly. They didn’t see each other as much as they should, ever since Louis moved to Cheshire. Granted, they were only two hours away, but everyone always had something going on. They did spend Christmas together, but that was once a year. Even then, someone would always be missing.

“They sound lovely,” Harry replied. They were both shirtless, just in their pajama pants. Well, Harry had borrowed a pair of Louis’ and they were just a tad bit too short. It was so endearing, really. 

“Maybe you’ll meet them one day,” Louis whispered against the back of Harry’s neck. For that to happen, he’d have to come out to his family. Sure, they weren’t conservative at all, and they loved him a lot, but he was still terrified. He couldn’t imagine his mum hating him or god forbid, being disappointed. He hated her disappointed face. It was the same one she gave him when he told her about Eleanor’s pregnancy.

Harry just smiled, and though Louis couldn’t see him, he knew he was smiling. He could just sense it. 

“I hope so. My sister would love you so much. She’ll probably think you’re hot,” he realized with a gasp and then a scowl. “So you’re like, fully gay, right? Because my sister is really pretty. And she doesn’t like leafy greens. So if you’re not fully gay, Lou, we might have a problem.”

Louis burst out laughing and rolled Harry over so they were facing each other. “Oi, wanna shut up?” he cooed, leaning forward to press their lips together. He pulled back to nudge their noses together. “I’m fully gay, I promise. Don’t let the naturally conceived daughter fool you, babe. Anyway, your sister can’t be prettier than you. You’re the prettiest of them all.”

Louis wished he could take a picture with just his eyes. Harry looked so beautiful then, his lashes looking extra long and his cheeks turning that bashful pink color. Louis cupped the side of Harry’s face, his thumb stroking his porcelain skin before his fingers tangled in his Disney princess curls.

“You’re prettier,” was all Harry could manage to say, still obviously flustered. “Louis?”

The older man blinked several times, having been in a daze. Harry’s eyes had that effect on him. “Yes, love?”

“Where do you see your life going in five years?” Harry asked, his leg moving to wrap around Louis’ waist. He just wanted to be as close to him as physically possible. It had been a while since he’d had a good cuddle.

Louis frowned as he thought about the question. Five years? Fuck, he’d be in his late thirties. 38. That was disgusting. He’d be too busy trying to pay Thisbe’s college tuition, and he’d be dealing with the damn cat all by himself. Or would he be by himself? He looked at Harry and smiled softly, the wrinkles by his eyes deepening. 

“In exactly five years, Thisbe will probably still be in Uni or getting a job. She most likely won’t be living here, meaning her room will be converted to a man cave. Just kidding.” He chuckled softly, noticing how Harry was watching him. It was like he genuinely cared about what Louis said. He was precious. “The cat will be fatter. Maybe she’ll be dead. We’ll see. And me? I’ll be laying here, since I’ll be too old to do anything else. What about you?”

“I’ll be in this same exact position,” Harry answered a bit too quickly.

Louis was falling harder and harder for this damn koala-hippie.

“Really?” Louis couldn’t help but ask. Harry would be thirty. He’d probably look even better than he did right now, and he’d be able to get anyone. 

“Yes,” Harry murmured, leaning forward to peck Louis’ lips. “Hey, Lou?”

“Hm?” Louis hummed, burying his face in Harry’s neck and vandalizing it with kisses. He nearly melted as the younger man giggled and squirmed a bit, tilting his head back to give Louis more room. 

“Be my boyfriend? Please? Oh god, that tickles! Lou!”

Louis stopped, looking up at him with slightly wide eyes. After a moment, he smiled widely and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be your boyfriend.”

He carried on with kissing his neck, and Harry had never felt more safe.

———————————

Louis woke up to an empty bed the next morning. He frowned and sat up, and he thought Harry had left for a split second. That was until he spotted the man’s skinny jeans on the floor a few meters away from the bed. He doubted Harry would leave without them. He wondered if he owned only one pair of had a closet full of them. He chuckled at his thoughts as he climbed out of bed.

He found Harry in the kitchen, and he nearly screamed.

“What is that thing doing on the table?” Louis demanded.

Harry looked up at Louis, his face looking like sunshine. His curls were all messy and brushing his shoulders. Beautiful. But the thing was, Harry was stroking the _cat_. And the _cat_ was on the table.

“But Lou! She’s so pretty,” Harry cooed, leaning down to kiss the fat thing’s head.

Louis wanted to throw up. “You’re not kissing me until you thoroughly wash that mouth of yours,” he told him, his nose wrinkled. 

“What’s her name?” Harry asked, ignoring Louis’ obvious discomfort regarding the cat. 

“Eleanor,” Louis replied, chuckling to himself as he opened the fridge, pulling out the carton of milk. “Thisbe and I got her when my ex left us, and I came up with the name. Eleanor wasn’t fat, but she was rather annoying.”

Harry gasped and gave Louis a glare. “That’s mean! If we break up, are you going to name a fat cat after me?”

Louis smiled fondly and just set the milk down. He went to Harry, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his nose. “Of course not. I’ll name the sweetest little kitten after you. But it won’t be after we break up. It’ll be the kitten we adopt together,” he told him, and he fell in love with how flustered Harry got. Precious.

“Help me make breakfast?” Harry managed to ask after a moment. He paused and sniffed for a moment. “Actually, go brush your teeth. No breakfast and no good morning kiss until you brush your teeth.”

Louis groaned but didn’t throw a tantrum. He went upstairs with the biggest smile on his face.

Downstairs, Harry called his doctor to reschedule his appointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooh, what kind of doctor appointment did harry reschedule? 
> 
>  
> 
> **IMPORTANT**
> 
>  
> 
> i'm looking for assistance with this! like someone who can read chapters in advance and give me advice/suggestions. comment if you're interested! i have so many ideas about the direction this could go in, but i want to tell someone and get their thoughts.


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